CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Soon-to-be former West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair says his new position he will begin next week is not of a lobbyist but a consultant in government relations.
Blair announced that he will begin serving as Senior Advisor of West Virginia for the LNE Group, a leading lobbying and government relations firm starting January 8. 
The group, which was founded in 2002 in Cleveland, Ohio stated that having Blair as an addition to the firm underscores their growth in West Virginia since 2023 and “solidifies its reputation as a powerhouse in advocacy and legislative affairs.”
Blair said on MetroNews Talkline Thursday that it’s a continuation of the work he’s already been doing during his time in state government.
“I’ve learned a lot of things over the years and I’m going to be able to help us continue on the path to prosperity for the people of West Virginia, but I’m going to be for hire for being able to do that,” Blair said.
According to the LNE Group’s LinkedIn page, they work with clients in both the U.S. and Europe, focusing primarily on securing government funding and support for clients’ research initiatives, particularly as it pertains to technology.
They claim to help companies navigate the government landscape to access funding opportunities for innovative projects.
Blair said he’s excited to help the firm expand its growth in West Virginia and keep the state on a path to prosperity by utilizing his knowledge about governmental affairs and the connections he has made.
“That is the number one goal,” he said. “And I’ll also be able to consult with government agencies, say the Senate, House, the government’s office the PEIA board is one that could probably use me over there a little bit to help them understand when you’re going to do things, what the repercussions of them are.”
Serving in both the West Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate, Blair said he feels proud of what the administration which he served in for those years in the West Virginia Legislature has managed to accomplish.
He highlighted a few of those accomplishments on Talkline which he said included fixing the general revenue, eliminating the food tax, and helping to make the surplus no longer an issue that it once was– all of which Blair said stemmed from creating a flatline budget.
In addition, he said under the Justice administration the legislature also managed to put $6 billion towards state roads, $2 billion towards Broadband expansion and initiated tax reductions of over 25% of the personal income tax.
Blair said the next administration faces major budgeting challenges, but he said every administration has challenges of their own to face. He said the flatline budget, however, should continue to serve as a springboard for them in navigating those challenges and turn them around toward something better.
“It forged the opportunity to go in, not to see it as a problem, but as something that needed to be reformed and to be able to do it better than we did it before in the past, these are all opportunities, so will there be opportunities in the future, absolutely, unemployment needs to be addressed, childcare, PEIA,” he said.
Blair also said the caucus is more divided than ever and the new Senate President Randy Smith will have a lot of work to do in navigating that as well.
“He’s going to have his work cut out for him, because to a greater degree, he’s putting new people in place that have had zero experience on being able to manage government, being able to manage the finances,” he said.
However, he said he has confidence that Smith can do the job.
Blair said if the good revenue numbers for the month of December are anything to go by, the future of West Virginia only continues to keep looking up for the most part.
He said better times are in the cards for the people of West Virginia as long as the new administration can continue the work off what Governor Jim Justice and his legislature started.
“That’s the future, but if they decide they want to fight and carry on and not be able to work like we have in the past, then we’re going to condemn ourselves to a very poor future into the future.”